Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Blank check petition

UPDATE: Thursday, 8:00 AM

Okay now that the crusty Gazette and Bulletin (Front Page no less) have caught up with this cyber "story" the Overriders should have little trouble getting the remaining 750 signatures or so. Only a slight vested interest on the part of our local media as the Gazette and Bulletin get to charge "open rate" (highest possible) for political ads and Overriders tend to love those boring but large signature ads.

UPDATE: 3:00 PM

Found this blast from the past on the failure of the "Amherst Plan" Override three years ago published in the 5/7/07 Amherst Bulletin:

Although not as decisive as Select Board member Hwei-Ling Greeney would have liked it to be, the vote would send town officials a message, said Greeney, who campaigned hard for the "No" side. "Now I feel we're in a strong position to say, 'You need to go by what the voters want, which is to live within our means.'"

Override supporters said the 267-vote margin hardly constitutes a mandate.

"I think it's pretty positive," said former Select Board member Bryan Harvey, at Town Meeting members Patricia Blauner's and Peter Blier's house, where supporters met on Tuesday night.

"This is the hardest sell you can imagine," Harvey said. "Big number, multi-year, all the risk about - will it work?" There is no harder sell, and the result is we have to change 130 minds. We'll find 130 people," Harvey said.

"We have to figure out what the town really wants to do. There was some doubt about this particular package, but strong support for doing something."

Baer Tierkel, a supporter, said parents hadn't turned out in the numbers he had hoped to see. "It's up to parents to have a voice in how our schools are financed and what their level of quality is," Tierkel said.

He said he was disappointed by some residents he would have expected to support an override.

"Amherst politics always surprises me," Tierkel said. "There are a lot of people who align themselves as liberals, as progressives, as believing in using taxes to distribute the wealth.

"I understand people who are against taxes and big government being on the 'No' side," Tierkel said.

"I don't understand people who believe in government's role in providing for schools and for services to those who can't afford it, aligning with the 'No' side."

#########################################Update 5:10 PM (EST rather than PST where petitionsite.com is located) Look who just signed the petition!

Jennie "trash talking" Traschen. You know, the Umass Prof who on the night of 9/10/2001 (about 12 hours before the fist plane impaled the North Tower) pontificated before the illustrious People's Republic of Amherst Select Board that the American flag "is a symbol of tyranny and fear and destruction and terrorism." Yikes!##########################################12:32 pm PST, Jan 12,Jennie Traschen, Massachusetts To understand a society, look at how it spends money. #########################################

Original Post 10:45 AM

So these folks--many who work for the schools--want the illustrious Select Board to put an Override on the ballot this March 23rd; and I guess they really don't care if it's for $1 million (costing the average homeowner an additional $150 in taxes) or $10 million--which would cost ten times that spare change amount.

I'm surprised their goal is only 1,000 signatures because in Amherst collecting petition signatures is a popular pastime; and using the crowd sourcing Internet, they should have gotten that piddly amount, like, yesterday.

Maybe somebody should start a petition targeting Governor Patrick demanding state workers get a raise or the Feds to give those living on fixed incomes a Social Security hike. After all, their local taxes are about to skyrocket.

"So let's hear it for the state, finally, cracking down on those who would use their government positions--either paid or unpaid--for personal gain: The new Conflict of Interest regulations require online training for all municipal employees and provides real punishment for those found in violation."

No need to worry though, Amherst anarchists have everything under control...

And taxpayers WANT to make SURE they have enough for yoga classes AND those delicious organic Whole Foods mangos they're always craving...

Yes, we the undersigned want to pay higher taxes in order to preserve the services we currently receive. We want quality schools, roads without potholes, streetlights, police and fire protection and are willing to pay for it.

you try to sound like being anti-override is PRO change, and yet efforts to stop any override will keep our revenue levels at outdated and ineffective levels. As long as we're not adequately funding our schools and other town services, nothing is going to change. Well, actually that's not true. Lots will change as we regress.

if you don't want an anonymous feature on your blog, figure out how to get rid of it.

but don't blame those of us that don't want to be personally attacked by the bully that runs this blog.

I've noticed when readers respond positively with an anonymous signature, they're not criticized. But when readers are anonymous and oppose the blog's point of view... they are criticized for lacking courage.

I admit that the salary profile in Stan Gawle's article, if accurate, surprised me: there were more big salaries than I expected.

I figured maybe five between $100K and $150K and maybe 12 between $80K and $100K, not the kind of numbers I see here.

As someone who makes below both ranges for my salary as a prosecutor of 19 years, trying criminal cases on a conveyor belt, I can see the point Stan is making. Wow, we're laying out some serious bucks here for town employees.

I remain pro-override, but I don't see the case for it even beginning to be made. Does anyone realize that there's a burden of proof to be met here? Once again, the anti-overriders seem to be out front.

Sure, since you asked so nicely (for a freakin Anon). This from Catherine Sanderson's school committee blog:

"I also think such comparisons are very useful in thinking about finances.

So, I examined, using public records (http://finance1.doe.mass.edu/statistics/) comparisons between the Amherst Regional Schools and Northampton. Note that Amherst is very similar to Northampton in multiple ways -- they serve just about the same number of kids (2,800 compared to our 3,086) in the same number of schools (6), and the populations are quite similar (except they have a higher percentage of low income kids -- we have 17.3 and they have 26.4 -- and a higher percentage of special ed kids -- we have 18.6 and they have 21.8). Yet they spend almost $1,000 less than the state average per pupil ($11,613.94 compared to the state average of 12,448.78) and we (Regional Schools) spend $3,500 more than the state average ($16,131.11). So, you have to ask do kids in Amherst get a better education for this considerable extra money?

"Special education costs for the elementary schools in Amherst increased $1.6 million in the period 2000-2009, but the special education population increased by only one student, from 233 to 234."

WOW! How on earth can they justify that? Until things like this are cleared up I will NOT be supporting any override. Looking back at the "Amerst Plan" they were pushing for the last one I have to wonder why many of the items weren't done anyways? Look it up and read it again. What were they waiting for?

"# 196: 3:35 pm PST, Jan 13, Scott Auerbach, Massachusetts Just like Baer says: there are some things we cannot control, and others that we can. Loss of quality in our schools affects EVERYBODY regardless of whether one has kids in school or not. Keeping our schools strong is what separates strong communities from those going down the tubes. Let's be one of the communities not going down the tubes.

AND ISN'T THIS THE RUB?

Let's invest a bit more of our hard earned money in our schools, keeping our home values relatively high. Let's do this now."

Oh you liddle cridders you...

Inflating a false image to keep those property values up...

Naughty naughty... At whose expense?

And to think, scum like this guy want to take bread out of the mouths of town employees making 30,000 a year or less...

All right. All right. Mr. Kelly, a sad situation in a very beautiful town. Thank you very much.

LARRY KELLY, "THE AMHERST BULLETIN" COLUMNIST: Well, I think they're afraid of you, Bill. Amherst is kind of a giant bubble, and they don't want to deal with people from outside of the bubble, you know? Oftentimes, Amherst is referred to as the People's Republic of Amherst...

O'REILLY: Amherst is out of control. Where are the folks? Where are the parents of the students who go to this high school?

KELLY: Well, they're...

O'REILLY: You know, you gets the government you deserve, Mr. Kelly, sometimes. Now you're a lifelong resident of the town, and it looks to me...

KELLY: Yes, sir.

O'REILLY: ... that the people of Amherst just simply don't have the courage to...

KELLY: Well, Bill -- well, first of all, Bill, we're working on changing our form of government. We have a charter revision vote that will be coming up next year to do precisely that, and I hope it passes.

Well, if they can't deal with the school committee meeting where practically everyone agreed with them, then how can they -- how are they mature enough to get up and yell out the C word at the top of their lungs and do some of the other graphic things that exist in the play?

O'REILLY: Yes. Well, believe me, they'll find a way.

Last question for you. You say the P.C. atmosphere in Amherst, Massachusetts -- if you speak out against something like this, people will scorn you? What will happen? Say I showed up and said this is wrong. What would happen to me?

KELLY: Well, I mean, basically, I had, you know, one of the -- a teenager today on a Web site was saying, you know, Larry, if you don't like Amherst and you're always criticizing Amherst, then why don't you leave? That old, if you don't like it, get the heck out of here kind of thing.

But some of the parents told me off the record, because they know I write a column, and they -- they got nervous, saying, Larry, you can't quote me on this, but I'm afraid that some of the P.C. teachers might retaliate against my child.

O'REILLY: All right. All right. Mr. Kelly, a sad situation in a very beautiful town. Thank you very much.

"Only a slight vested interest on the part of our local media as the Gazette and Bulletin get to charge "open rate" (highest possible) for political ads and Overriders tend to love those boring but large signature ads."